Thomas Brown was the son of a wealthy merchant and a loyalist. He formed a large settlement north of Augusta called Brownsborough. In August 1775, members of the local committee confronted him at his home. When he refused to denounce the crown, he was tortured, beaten, and almost killed. The committee had made an example of him. Months later, when he had recovered from his injuries, he recruited hundreds of loyalists to form a militia called Brown's Rangers in the backcountry. They would later help British forces capture Augusta. According to passage, why did Brown’s Rangers take up arms and fight?